


A Queen's Drama

by Highwind



Series: A Matter of Heart [1]
Category: Final Fantasy IV
Genre: F/M, Not Canon Compliant - Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-19 06:18:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3599517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Highwind/pseuds/Highwind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She swore she would give her life for his cause, just like he had promised to protect her, no matter the reason. Seeing him so hurt opened something completely new to the once young girl. It was unbearable for her to see him like this. How could anyone do this to him? First they try to take him away from her and then they break his heart. Just how could she possibly mend it while also meeting an old enemy and a new ally?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flames of the Past

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there people! After all those years of playing Final Fantasy 4 this idea came into my mind. I loved The After Years but some things in my opinion should be different. This story will not be related to The After Years and will instead have a completely different story. I will be shifting between different perspectives to keep it interesting. Also, kudos if you know where the inspiration for the last scene came from! Enjoy!

"What?!" I nearly screamed, not believing what I had just heard. This could not be happening! I had sworn that I would give my life for him, but the one time he actually needed my help I was not there.

"Rydia! Where are you going?" one of the the villagers called, quickly running up to me, making me stop.

"I'm going to Baron." I stated matter-of-factly, before continuing to head towards the Mist Cave at high speed. How could this have happened? I couldn't believe that someone had done this something like this. Who could possibly want the king dead? 

"Many could want the king dead." a new voice said, making me freeze in my steps. Looking up I could see that I had already reached the cave entrance but I was not alone. Leaning against the entrance was a heavily armored soldier, though striking familiar. Since when could he read minds? Or was I simply that obvious? "

"I never thought I would see you again." I greeted him softly, before throwing my arms around him and hugging him. As much as I could hate him, for killing my mother and burning our village, for betraying us two times, I could not hate him for that anymore. There was only one thing that truly made it impossible for me to ever forgive him completely. He hurt Cecil so much, I simply couldn't standing seeing Cecil like that. 

"I hadn't planned on returning quite so soon," Kain started, returning the hug before letting go of me, "But as soon as I got word of what happened I couldn't simply stay hidden away. And, knowing that the news had probably reached Mist I decided to see if I could find you on your way to Baron."

"Well, I won't deny you the company." I responded smiling, unable to not. Even back on the moon, we managed to stay happy and positive and not getting crushed under the pressure of failure and what would happen. 

* * *

 

I was rather surprised that the trip went so well, usually one or two monsters still decide to try their luck but this time not a single one bothered. Maybe Kain's presence scared away them even more. 

"Do you know what happened?" I asked, spotting the castle in the distance.

"Probably not more than everyone else. An assassin managed to get into the throne room but Cecil managed to kill him before it was he who got killed." Kain stated, not knowing more than anyone else. This was maybe the time to tell him, definitely better than any other time.

"You know, I still haven't forgiven you." I said, Kain stopping in his tracks before looking at me. 

"I can under-"

"No. I have forgiven you for killing my mother and destroying my home, it was an accident. I have forgiven you for betraying us, you could not control it. But the one thing I have not forgiven you for is all the hurt you inflicted on Cecil. I remember clearly his expression when he met you in Fabul, happy to see you alive. But the moment you lifted your spear against him I saw how crushed he was. Then, it was only worse in the Sealed Cave. He was utterly destroyed as you attacked him and took the last Dark Crystal. He had thought everything was fine, but it wasn't. I could feel his sorrow, but I never dared to talk to him about it back then." I nearly ranted, Kain wearing a shocked expression.

"I never knew that you felt like this," Kain admitted before smiling, "But does Cecil know you care that much about him? I know he thinks of you as a little sister, but do you feel the same?"

"What are you talking about?" I quickly tried to avoid saying more than necessary. It didn't matter what I felt, especially not so long Cecil was together with Rosa.

"You care awfully much for him, more than one would expect. Tell me, what exactly do you feel for him?" Kain inquired, continuing to walk. Sadly, the castle was still quite far away.

"I feel the same as he does, he's like a big brother to me." I declared, hoping Kain wouldn't ask anymore. Couldn't he understand that his was none of his business?

"So, what has changed in Baron?" Kain asked, understanding that I would not talk more about the subject, probably having seen that there were two additional towers besides the two old ones.

"Quite a lot actually, they have expanded the castle," I answered, pointing out the two towers, "Hey, how about we ride two chocobos to the castle? It would save us a lot of time."

"Sounds good to me." Kain said, quickly changing direction towards the chocobo forest. Entering the forest, we quickly managed to mount two chocobos and cut the travel time by more than half. Closing the distance to the castle at a fast pace, it wasn't long until we stood outside the gates, two guard standing above us.

"Identify yourselves!" one of the guards shouted, closely looking at me and Kain. Most guards had started to recognize in my green attire and rather short green hair. I guess I still hadn't met all of the guards in the castle. Now I could just hope they would let Kain inside.

"I'm Rydia of Mist!" I called, the guards instantly reacting to it.

"Forgive us Lady Rydia, we will let you inside immediately!" the guard called back, giving a signal to some other guards to open the gates. Entering the castle, majestic as always, two guards greeted us.

"Lady Rydia, should we announce that you are here?" the left guard asked, I nodding in response before he most likely quickly headed to wherever Cecil was right now.

"I hope they will welcome me back with open arms." Kain confessed, getting my attention.

"Of course they will. They have mentioned it multiple times that they would give anything for you to come back." I informed him smiling, Kain nodding before smiling as well.

* * *

 

"Your Majesty, your visitors have arrived." the guard from earlier announced, Cecil turning around while I shot forward.

"Rydia!" Cecil called, not knowing what hit him as my arms wrapped around him.

"I missed you." I managed to get out into his armored shoulder, his arms around me and holding me close.

"I missed you too, little sister." Cecil whispered into my ear, making me shiver. As he was about to let me go, I whimpered a little which made him keep his arms around me longer. Eventually I couldn't keep his arms around me but a short moment later I was hugged by Rosa. Enjoying the embrace, I managed to escape Rosa's bear hug and somehow got Kain to understand that he could step closer. Somehow neither Cecil or Rosa had noticed Kain standing at the entrance to the throne room. I could see him hesitating, taking small steps but before Kain could even take another step Cecil took the initiative and hugged Kain.

"Welcome back Kain." Cecil greeted his best friend, releasing Kain before looking him into the eyes. As soon as Cecil had let go, Kain fell to his knees to my surprise, and Cecil's and Rosa's most likely.

"Your Majesty, it is an honor to be back and I hope will be allowed to serve you." Kain spoke, his head bowed, anticipating Cecil's answer.

"Very well, I will allow you to serve me. But under two conditions. First of, you will call me Cecil and everything will be as it once was," Cecil began, Kain staring at him like he had gone mad," Second I declare you Captain of the Red Wings."

"Cecil..." Kain tried, but to no avail. I watched as Rosa this time stepped forward and embraced him.

"Kain, why can't you simply accept that we have forgiven you? We welcome you with open arms, and we want more than anything that you return and stay here with us." Rosa stopped him with kind words, letting go of Kain.

"Thank you Rosa. Thank you Cecil. I will never be able to repay you but I will not disappoint you as Captain of the Red Wings." Kain finally accepted their invitation. Finally they were reunited.

"Now, before I officially welcome you back and declare you as Captain of the Red Wings I challenge you to duel in front of everyone who wants to watch at the courtyard." Cecil said, catching everyone off-guard.

"So be it."

* * *

 

I still had the picture of Rydia in Cecil's arms in my mind. The way she tried to stay there longer, the way it felt like she content with being where she was. But, she had made it clear that she only felt the same as Cecil. Cecil was her big brother. I really wanted her to be happy, but at the same time I couldn't hope for Rosa to be unhappy. And as soon as I was done here I would start investigating the attempted murder on Cecil.

"Are you ready?" Cecil asked, stopping my train of thought. He had lifted his sword and his shield, and had taken a defensive stance.

"As ready as I can be." I responded, lifting my spear and pointing it at him. Seeing as that he would probably not be the one to strike first I had to do it. I knew that striking first against a strong opponent more often than not could be a mistake. But Cecil didn't leave me much of a choice if this should be a battle. Dashing forward, I turned a little to my left to add more behind my strike, before making an upward strike which Cecil parried. Quickly, I brought my spear down and went for a stabbing motion right on his chest. Jumping backwards, I barely avoided Cecil's strike.

"It has been too long since I have done this." Cecil admitted, not hesitating to dash forward to attempt an offensive of his own. Quickly came a downward strike, which I parried with my lance but what I didn't see was his roundhouse kick. Getting kicked, I lost balance and was unable to dodge Cecil's second strike coming from the opposite direction of his kick. Trying to regain some balance, I got no time before his shield bashed into my shoulder and forced me onto the ground. Spotting an opening, I slid on the ground and swept Cecil of his feet, my spear crashing down on his ribs which sent him sliding over the ground.

"Finally this is working out, it looked like both of us were out of form." I stated, Cecil nodding in agreement. I sent a quick glance over at the spectators, Rydia and Rosa obviously standing at the front. I had no doubt that Rydia cheered on Cecil and not me, but she would never admit it. Rosa probably cheered on both of us, wanting neither of us to lose. Deciding that the ground we were on was not enough, I crouched and put all my power into the jump. As fast as I got into the air, as fast I was descending upon Cecil. Parrying my downward strike, I quickly found myself sliding on the ground on all four with no breathing room before Cecil's shield came crashing down upon my hands, trying to get me to drop it. Instead of letting that happen, I lifted up my arm to take the hit. That would leave a big bruise, but it kept me from losing this duel. Still holding my lance, I tried to get in a hit but Cecil simply took a step back to avoid it. Wasting no time in standing up, Cecil and I circled each other, dashing forward the moment we spotted an opening. Well, it seemed like we had both forgotten to cover ourselves. My spear was at his throat, but the same could be said about his sword.

"This is rather interesting." Cecil joked, not removing his sword. I glanced at Rydia again, and her expression was not the same as when Cecil had been winning.

"Should we call this a tie?" I wondered, keeping my spear in its place.

"It seems like the only option." Cecil admitted, dropping his sword slowly, I mirroring his movements.

"That was amazing!" Rydia exclaimed, hugging Cecil from behind who nearly fell from the added weight catching him by surprise.

"Hey, what about me?" I asked, looking disappointed at Rydia.

"Did I ever say that I would cheer for you?" Rydia countered, sticking her tongue out while resting her head on Cecil's shoulder. I could practically feel Rosa how tense was but nonetheless she hid it.

"That was an impressive display, I'm surprised you managed to do so well after such a long time," Rosa said, hugging me lightly before hugging Cecil, Rydia having let go of him, "but how about having lunch now? You must be hungry since you I guess you haven't eaten anything you departed from Mist."

* * *

 

Trying to sit next to Cecil was harder than I had expected, especially with Kain pulling me away and forcing me to sit down next to him. Why didn't he let me sit next to Cecil? Maybe it would have disrespectful to not let the queen sit next to the king, but still. I wanted to sit next to Cecil!

"So Kain, how have you been those last years?" Cecil asked interested, Kain in deep thought at the question.

"Well, I mostly travelled between the different mountain ranges, taking down any monster I found. I tried to find the light on Mt. Ordeal like you did but there was nothing there for me." Kain told us. He had been travelling between the mountains all these years?

"So Rydia, is Edge still trying to woo you?" Rosa inquired, making me remember something I had tried to forget since I got to Baron.

"Yes, he still hasn't given up. Why can't he understand that I'm not interested?" I responded, sounding more annoyed that I intended. As soon as those words left my mouth, I could see Cecil's expression darken a little.

"Maybe I should talk to him." Cecil offered, there being no doubt what he had in mind.

"You don't need to do that," I assured him, hoping he wouldn't, "I'll make sure that he understands this time." 

"Well, you might get your chance soon. Edge is coming over to help with the investigation." Rosa added, I nearly choking on my drink.

"Ah yes, the assassin. I actually managed to keep him alive and I'm inclined to believe he's a ninja." Cecil continued, not having noticed my reaction. I should give that assassin a piece of my mind!

"Have you interrogated him yet?" Kain wondered, Cecil shaking his head. Why were they still waiting? Maybe Cecil would let me help? Most likely not, he wouldn't even allow me to be there when it happens. 

"Edge will help me, he probably has some interesting ways of getting the answer out of him." Cecil responded. 

"Your Majesty, the Falcon is approaching as you speak!" a soldier announced, looking out of breath as if he had run all the way from the walls.

"Well than, let them dock and guide Edge to the throne room. His men are free to do what they want." Cecil ordered , the soldier hurrying away, Kain and Rosa following leaving us alone again.

"Cecil-"

"Come here, I didn't get to hug you enough." Cecil said. Had I heard that? Hoping so, I didn't hesitate to wrap my arms around Cecil while he did the same.

"I really wish I could come here more often, but Mist needs me and I can't just leave them." I said, hugging Cecil even tighter.

"I also wish that you could come and visit us more often, but I would never stop you from helping Mist, little sister," Cecil responded, giving me one last tight hug before letting me go, "Come, Edge is probably waiting. I hope you will at least try to not doing anything wrong if he approaches you again. If it goes too far; I'll step in. Alright?"

"Alright."

* * *

 

"Hey Rydia!" Edge greeted me, a flower in his hand which he hid behind his back. Did he still think he could surprise me with that? The first few times I was surprised, now it was more of an annoyance than anything else.

"Hey Edge." I greeted back, hoping I didn't sound annoyed. We were still friends, but eventually I had to make him stop with his advances. 

"This is for you." Edge said, as usual handing me the flower which I took smiling.

"Thanks Edge." I thanked him, before he turned his attention to the others.

"Edge, it's good to see you again." Cecil greeted him, before Kain and Rosa did the same. 

"Is that really you Kain? The mountains seem to have worked wonders on you." Edge noted, something I hadn't though about. Being in Kain's presence felt different, lighter.

"Aware as always I see. Are your blades still as sharp?" Kain countered, a smug smile on his face as he spoke those words. Edge said nothing, only chuckling.

"I like to think they are. Now, I heard you captured the assassin and that he possibly is a ninja." Edge changed topic, already getting to the matter at hand.

"Yes, but he refuses to talk. Seeing that you're a ninja as well we thought you maybe could get some information out of him." Cecil informed him, Edge agreeing immediately. A second later and they were gone, Kain following Cecil like he was his shadow. This left me alone with Rosa, something I was happy about but also feared. I had always gotten along well with Rosa, but the moment I started to understand what I felt for Cecil jealousy clouded my thoughts in her presence. Why couldn't Cecil see what I felt for him? How could he still only see me as a little sister? But at the same time I couldn't come to feel any anger towards Rosa. I had been seven years old the first time I met Cecil and the second time I had grown up while still being a child in their mind.  At the same time Cecil liked Rosa from the beginning, so who was I to get between them?

"Rydia."

Huh?" I looked up, not noticing that Rosa was already leaving and now staring at me. How embarrassing to not have noticed!

"How about we go to the gardens and talk a little?" 

* * *

 

"You call yourself a ninja? You're no ninja!" Edge shouted at the ninja, chained at a wall while trying to not say anything. 

"I'm a free man, and do I what think is right." the ninja said, staring at the ground.

"By trying to assassinate the king of Baron?" Kain asked, holding his spear in his hand while I stood there thinking. What reason could he have to kill me? Was he alone? If not, who did he work with? Did someone order him to do this?

"Tell us, who are you working for?!" Edge continued the interrogation, punching the ninja in the face before waiting for an answer. Was I just imagining things or did everything turn red?

"You let anger control you. Embrace it and you will find your answers."

"What?!" Edge exclaimed, everyone of us trying to find the source of the voice. 

"There's no doubt, it's him!" Kain shouted, already having taken a battle stance preparing for a fight.

"Rubicante!" I called, sword drawn and ready to battle.

"Come, heroes of the crystals! I await you above!"

* * *

"Summoner!" a booming voice called, familiar but still not recognizable to me

"Who's there?!" I called back before flames spun in front of me and Rosa and we had to jump back to not get engulfed by them.

"It's an honor to meet you again, especially under different circumstances." Rubicante greeted us, bowing a little before staring at us again.

"What do you want?" Rosa asked, ready to chant a spell the instant Rubicante made a move.

"I'm here to offer my services to the summoner," Rubicante responded. He wanted me to be able to summon him? "Also, I still have some things to settle with your dear ninja."

"Rubicante!" I heard Cecil's voice behind us, quickly standing covering us together with Edge and Kain.

"If you want to call me summoner you will have to defeat me once again. You have managed to do it twice, but this time will be different!" Rubicante stated, opening his cloak, taking a battle stance and waiting.

"Honorable as always I see. Let us fight!" Cecil responded, Rubicante lifting his hand slightly.

"Let me restore your powers!" Rubicante said, infusing us with power. I could feel every ounce of tiredness gone, like I had rested the entire day, "Come, let us find out if you still possess the same strength when I first met you! Face me at full strength!"

 


	2. The Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back! This chapter would have been done so much faster, hadn't I been stuck at the beginning. I'm horrible at writing battles that involve more than two major character. I think I finished it okay, not great, but it worked. Just some quick things. Between the end of Final Fantasy 4 and this story, five years have passed. Also, the twins were not five years old in the game, but eight. This chapter focuses heavily on Kain, and without spoiling too much, will work as a set-up for the sequel to this story.

"Come, let us find out if you still possess the same strength when I first met you! Face me at full strength!" Rubicante shouted, lashing out at Edge who nimbly dodged the attack, before countering with his own Ninjutsu, Frost. That gave me the chance to strike, and I quickly lifted my sword and struck him while he still recovered from Edge's attack. Following my attack was Kain, descending from the air and striking with his spear, before landing next to me. Seeing Rubicante move his hand slightly, I recognized it from all these years ago and signaled for Kain to move backwards, barely avoiding the cones of flames coming out of the ground. "You remember, impressive. But it won't be enough!"  
"Rydia quick, cast Blizzaga!" I shouted, Rydia immediately starting to chant. I didn't hesitate to parry one of Rubicante's attacks meant for Rydia, so long she could cast the spell which would inflict more damage than any of our weapons against him. Until he closed his cloak that is. I watched in amazement, like every time, how a massive formation of ice captured Rubicante, shattering a split second later, "Strike now!"  
"Got it!" Edge responded, together with Kain striking Rubicante forcing him back a step further. To my surprise, Rubicante vanished, leaving us to guess what would happen next.  
"You better defend those of your own!" Rubicante shouted, appearing behind Rydia and grabbing her by her collar, flinging her towards us and letting her slide over the ground. My vision darkened because the anger I felt. Seeing that Rosa was already by Rydia's side, I dashed forward and slashed Rubicante multiple times, "Anger will never yield results."  
"Hallowed father of the Eidolons, I call upon you! Deliver judgement to those opposing me! Come-" Rydia started to chant, Rubicante lifting a hand.  
"Enough. There's no reason to call upon him," Rubicante stated, Rydia stopping to chant. Didn't he want to battle? "This was a mere test, and you have proven yourself. Your ability to work together has not diminished in the least. Call me whenever you wish, and one day we might have a true battle."  
"Do you know something we don't?" I asked, glaring at Rubicante. He wasn't the same as when he was working for Zemus, but you never knew.  
"People are rising, clearly something is wrong. Maybe the attempt on your life has something to do with it?" Rubicante questioned, "But, we'll meet again, Heroes of the Crystals!"  
"Wait!" Kain called, trying to stop Rubicante. Too late.  
"What does he mean with people are rising?" Rosa wondered, making all of us think. Well, there could only be one option if someone wanted to get rid of me, "Do we really think someone wanted to throw Baron into chaos?"  
"Obviously," Edge stated, making it sound like the most obvious thing in the world, "Some people don't seem to like Baron and how Baron is the leading nation. What better way to weaken them then by assassinating their king?" Edge's word couldn't be more on point, but how far spread was the support for this? Was it only limited to one kingdom? How many were involved? Did they have any more plans? Something clearly needed to be done, but not without information.  
"I will travel to Mysidia," Kain announced, catching my attention, "Who knows where their supporters hide? We also can't exclude them to sit in high ranking positions world wide."  
"So who will command the Red Wings then? Me?" I questioned, Kain not looking like he was joking, "Alright you can go. I expect results though."  
"Of course your majesty." Kain mock bowed, quickly heading into the caste to prepare for his trip. Hopefully he could get some useful information.  
"And I'm going back to Eblan, taking that ninja with me. I might be able to get something done back there," Edge declared, "I'll see you later." With that only me, Rosa and Rydia were left. What should we do now? The best options were probably to contact Yang and Edward, maybe see if they could possibly find something out that might help us. Getting their attention, I gestured towards the main hall and started walking in that direction, both following me.

* * *

 

How I hated the Devil's Road. But what do you when it is the fastest means of transportation? Even after having used it a few times, I still couldn't get used to it. At least I had reached my destination, Mysidia.  
"Kain?" I heard someone call. Was this the welcome I would get? I shouldn't have set my expectations so high. Trying to find where the voice was coming from, I had to admit surprise at the sight. Standing there was a young girl, thirteen years old at max, with a pink hair in a ponytail, with a simple white minidress. But how did she know my name?  
"Should I know you?" I asked, the girl shaking her head slightly, what seemed to be amusement, with a smile on her face.  
"I shouldn't have expected for you to recognize me." The girl said, "I'm Porom."  
"Porom?" I exclaimed in surprise. This was the little eight year old I had met back then? She had really changed a lot in five years.  
"I am going to assist you in any way possibly for the entirety of your stay," Porom continued, starting to lead me towards the Hall of Prayers, "The Elder wanted to meet you first though, before you go after your task."  
"Well, do I have a choice?" I said, not really asking simply because my options looked to be rather limited in this case. Turning around, Porom grinned at me before turning back and continuing to walk towards the Hall of Prayers. Quickly spotting the hall, it was undeniably hard to miss in the middle of the city, Porom didn't hesitate to enter, or wait for me to follow that matter.  
"Elder!" Porom shouted, a bit louder than necessary, tapping her foot lightly before the Elder descended the stairs. He had grown older, rather notably, and his body clearly started to show it. He had problems walking, Porom having to help him get down the last steps.  
"Ah, Kain. Welcome to Mysidia," the Elder greeted me, "I wasn't told why you are here, but I hope you will succeed in your task. Porom will help you so long you are here. Also, I have made sure you got a room in the inn for as long as you need it."  
"Thank you, I'll try to make my stay short. Hopefully it will end in success." I responded, nodding before heading back outside, Porom in tow.  
"So, what exactly is it you are looking for here?" Porom asked, now walking next to me, while not knowing where we would head, "I mean what do you expect to find here?"  
"I don't know," I responded, trying to think of where I could start, "Do you know of a place where you can find the sort of people you would prefer to never meet?"  
Looking like she was thinking, I waited patiently for her to answer, "I know where, but we're probably not welcome there."  
"Does it look like I care if I'm welcome or not?" I countered, making sure my equipment was in place incase I would need it, "Lead the way."

* * *

 

After a few minutes we stood outside a building, a simple one, with a door. Knocking a few times, with no response, I tried to push the door open and it opened without any problems. Didn't expect it to be this easy. Glancing over my shoulder I could see Porom following me closely, a staff in her hands. I could only hope that it would help her if it came down to it. Her expression could be only be described as fearful. Guess saving the world against monsters in easier than trying to fight humans, which made sense.  
"Don't worry, I will protect you." I said, trying to sound as soft as possible, Porom's expression immediately lighting up a little.  
"You promise?" Porom asked, I nodded in response before turning my attention back to the task at hand. Walking down a set of stairs, a door awaited us, but this time with a lock on it to keep unwanted guests away. Well, I guess there was only one way in. Glancing at Porom one last time, I lifted my foot and kicked in the door. Not very resilient it seemed, the door simply falling out of place and the sound from inside quieting down instantly. Not often that people kicked in the door I suppose. Entering, I took my spear in my hand while standing protectively in front of Porom. Those people did not look very happy. Before I could react a chair was flung in my direction, which I simply knocked down with my spear, and multiple men with daggers had surrounded me and Porom.  
"Who are you?" one of the men asked, the only one holding a sword in his hand.  
"If you really want to know, I'm Kain Highwind, Captain of the Red Wings," I answered, everyone in the room paling at my words, "I'm looking for anyone that is opposing Baron and its king."  
"No one here opposes Baron!" a man shouted, waving his dagger a little. Did he try to scare me away with that dagger? Did they really think they stood a chance against me?  
"You leave me no choice then." I said, pointing my spear at the leader, dashing forward to knock his sword out of his hand, delivering a punch to his gut, turning around to parry the first strike of a dagger with my glove. Grabbing his wrist, I didn't hesitate to break it if I had to. Letting go of the knife, before I had to break his wrist, I punched him in the gut as well, shoving him away in the process. Spotting movement to my right, I used my spear in a slashing motion which stopped any advance from the men, giving me time to close the gap and swipe them off their feet. One of them tried to attack me, which I parried with my glove again kicking him on his knee. Trying to see if anyone else was trying to attack, I saw something I hoped I wouldn't see. One of the men had grabbed Porom and held a knife at her neck. Only a few minutes ago I had promised to protect, and now I had already failed to keep that promise. No, I would not fail to keep that promise.  
"You better put that spear down or who knows what might happen to the girl?" the man said, putting the knife even closer to Porom's throat. If I couldn't keep this promise I don't know what I would do.  
"You better remove the knife from her throat or who knows what might happen to you." I responded, putting down my spear, but pulling out a small knife that I hid in my boot, throwing it at the man's exposed shoulder, which conveniently connected to the arm he was holding his dagger in. The man screamed in pain, so I took my chance, picking up my spear and, if you could call it that, punched him on the shoulder, the knife sinking further in.  
"You bastard!" he somehow screamed, falling to the ground and his grip on the dagger on Porom's throat gone. Looking around, I saw the leader. I hoped he wasn't that heavy. Picking him up, I flung him over my shoulder, still unconscious, putting the spear on my back, in a way so the man didn't die from it, and took Porom's hand, running towards the exit of this place. Running up the stairs, I looked over my shoulder to make sure Porom was okay, and kept running. Seeing the light up ahead, I increased my speed, eventually getting out of the building and able to breath fresh air. Wasting no time, I headed for the Hall of Prayers. now I had to hope that they had some way of containing the man, at least so he couldn't escape. Barging through the door, everyone inside stared at me, the Elder looking rather surprised as I threw the man on the floor.  
"Keep him contained until tomorrow. I will take him to Baron then." I said, still holding Porom's hand, exiting the building and trying to find my way to the inn. Trying to remember where it was, from the few visits to Mysidia I had made, I found it in a few minutes. Walking inside, the innkeeper looked up.  
"The Elder said he had gotten me a room." I stated, the innkeeper nodding back, handing me a key with a number on it. At least that was fixed. Heading up another set of stairs, I walked along the hallway and tried to find the room. Finding it, I put the key in the lock and opened the door, heading inside. The moment I was inside Porom started to sob, which slowly turned into crying as I embraced her and tried to calm her down. Resting her head on my shoulder, her crying continued uninterrupted for several minutes, slowly coming to an end as it turned into sobs again. "Hey, everything is alright." I said, stroking her hair softly, while not letting go of her. After another minute or two, Porom looked up at me with big eyes, those kind of eyes that make you unable to ever say something bad to them or hurt them.  
"Thank you for saving me." Porom got out, her voice sounding a little hoarse after all the crying she had done. Removing the glove on my left hand, I slowly lifted my hand and put back some strands behind her ear that had covered her face.  
"It was nothing." I responded softly, not stopping her as she rested her head on my chest.  
"So what do we do now?" Porom asked, her voice recovering slowly and sounding less hoarse. What do we do now? Did she expect me to take her along after this? I had no plans on doing that, especially after what had happened here.  
"We are going to do nothing. I will take the man with me back to Baron, and you will stay here in Mysidia and continue your training," I declared, Porom's expression looking rather crushed, "Don't look at me like that," I tried to say, probably not sounding as harsh as I wanted to. There was no way I would let her come along, so being nice was no option, "No, you're not coming with me."  
"Please? I could probably learn something, or even help you!" Porom retorted, now standing in front of me, hands on her hips. How would I explain to Cecil that I managed to get a thirteen year old girl involved? Saving the worlds from monsters is something different, and can't be compared to this. She had to study here, but with her not back off I really had not many options. Locking her up would be one, but I wouldn't do that. So, taking her with me seemed reasonable. Maybe I didn't have to let Cecil know that she was coming with me. Maybe she was correct, and could learn something on the way.  
"Alright, you can come with me. I will talk to the Elder, and hopefully manage to convince him, and then we are heading to Baron. Now, you will not do anything there except wait until we head somewhere else. Cecil doesn't need to know that I have involved a thirteen year old girl in this mess."  
"Thank you so much!" Porom exclaimed, a change from her usually calm demeanor, sprinting forwards, if you could call it that, and hugging me.  
"Don't make me regret it."

* * *

 

"You will stay until I come back." I explained, sitting at a table in the inn, and having hired a room after our late return to Baron. I had knocked out the man, again, and now I planned on brining him in front of Cecil, hoping he would be more willing to talk than the ninja. We really needed some information. Flinging the man over my shoulder, I exited the inn without waiting for a response from Porom. Steering straight for the castle gates, the guards recognized me immediately as I reached the gates.  
"Open the gates, it's Captain Highwind!" one of them called, a few seconds later and I could enter the castle.  
"Kain!" Cecil greeted me, already waiting for me behind the gates. Spotting the man on my shoulder, his happy expression turned into a frown before it turned into a questioning look.  
"I believe he knows something," I simply said, walking up to Cecil and dumping the man on the ground, "Maybe he will be willing to talk if we threaten him with imprisonment or something else."  
"Do you believe he has a bigger role in this?" Cecil asked, looking down at the man.  
"He might have been the leader in Mysidia, but I don't believe he has any bigger role. Their base of operations has to be somewhere else." I answered, no doubt that their were a lot more people behind this.  
"Maybe he is ready to tell us something," Cecil declared, kicking the man slightly in the side, "Get up."  
"Tell us where to find the base of operations." I continued, the man glaring at me.  
"Will my time imprisoned decrease if I cooperate?" the man inquired, Cecil glancing at me. He could obviously lie, but what choice did we have?  
"Alright. We will check up on your information, and if it is correct your time imprisoned will be shorter." I responded, Cecil agreeing.  
"People from Damcyan, Eblan, Mysidia are all going to Fabul I have heard, for a supposed gathering." the man told us. They were all in Fabul? Off to Fabul it looks like. Calling over a guard, I told him to put the man in one of the prisons until we knew that he wasn't lying.  
"Fabul it is then. I will be leaving immediately." I said, heading for the exit and giving a small wave. Hopefully, those people in Fabul would be more useful than he was.

* * *

 

"Fabul?" Porom asked, nearly sounding excited at the prospect of going there.  
"You know that we are not going there for fun, right?" I responded, Porom looking at me smiling.  
"Well, who said that we can't at least enjoy ourselves a little?" Porom tried, and I could only shake my head. I guess being young made the possibility of seeing new things a lot more exciting. Glancing at the clock, I could see that it was nearly time for us to depart.  
"It's time to go." I announced, standing up and picking up my bag, my spear already fastened on my back. Leading the way out, I didn't stop until we had created some distance between ourselves and the city. Spotting our means of transportation, I continued to walk until I heard my name.  
"Kain!" Cid shouted. How couldn't I have met him last time I was here?  
"Cid!" I called back, Cid meeting us at airship he had prepared. Shaking his hand, I could already see Cid looking at Porom.  
"Who do you have here?" Cid inquired, obviously not recognizing Porom after the few times they met, "I wasn't told about you bringing along someone."  
"Am I bringing along someone?" I asked smiling, Cid laughing lightly, "This is Porom."  
"Porom? My, you have sure grown up these last five years!" Cid exclaimed surprised, now laughing heartily, "I can see why no one knows about this! What would our dear king think if you brought along a thirteen year old?"  
"Enough Cid, start the airship, we're heading to Fabul." I said, Cid quickly heading up on the airship to start the engine.  
"Ahoy Captain, to Fabul!" Cid shouted, slowly lifting the airship off the ground. Leaning over the of airship, I watched as we slowly got further and further away from the ground and were moving at a breathtaking speed. I noticed Porom decided to join me. Who knew that someone besides me enjoyed the view?  
"I promise you, this time I will let no one hurt you. I will let no one hurt you ever again."  
"Thank you, Kain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go, you made it. Will we find out what happens in Fabul? Yes, but probably not next chapter which will heavily focus on Cecil and Rydia. Will Kain (and Porom) get another chapter? Maybe. For those worried about the romance, it will come but it won't come instantly. Aren't Cecil and Rosa madly in love? Thanks for reading, I will see you guys next time!


End file.
